The Forest Thieves
by Red Queen of Diamonds
Summary: After Christine is kidnapped, she is taken to the camp of the The Forest Thieves. Where Erik is there. Can she love him as he loves her? I am not good at summaries. ExC story. If you don't like it, you don't have to read.
1. Chapter 1

**The Forest Thieves**

_Disclaimer - I do not own POTO, so let's just leave it at that._

Chapter 1

Christine knew she shouldn't be taking the road in the forest alone (because of the thieves that lived there). But it was the quickest way to get home from the De Chagny estate. She had spent a wonderful time with Raoul. That night, (and many times before,) he had asked her for her hand in marriage, but politely she declined. She didn't want to marry someone who cared too much about making good impressions. She just wanted someone who was as interested in music as she was. But by far, she had not met that special someone. When she looked at the sky she told Raoul she promised her father that she would be home before sunset and must go home. Raoul offered her a ride to her house, but she said she would be fine on her own. Suddenly she heard a twig snap. She stopped the horse and looked around. She didn't see any one. She was about to start riding again, when she heard someone speak from behind her.

"Now what's a pretty little thing like you doing out here alone?" she turned around and saw a man standing behind her. He was a short person, but did not look all that young. _Probably in his late twenties, or early thirties, s_he thought.

She was about to respond when she saw something on his right elbow - a red scarf. The red scarf was the trademark of thieves in the woods! She quickly kicked the horse in the sides and her horse sped off. The man behind her gave a sharp whistle. She heard a noise above her. She was just in time to see another man in the trees. He landed right on top of her and she fell off her horse, which ran away. When she fell off, she hit her head and passed out. The man that landed on her turned her over to make sure she was okay. There was another noise in the bushes and a third person walked over to them. He looked at Christine and scowled at the other man.

"Perfect," he muttered "just perfect." He turned to the taller man and yelled "DID YOU HAVE TO FALL OUT OF THE TREE JAMES? YOU COULD HAVE _KILLED_ HER!" The tall one (James) checked her pulse.

"Don't worry Joseph, she's just out cold. She'll be fine." The shorter one turned to the other two.

"So what do we do with her now, James?" he asked.

"We'll take her to the chief, Jack."

"I don't know about this. Why don't we just let her go?" Joseph asked. James turned to him.

"And pass off the opportunity to get some money, I don't think so. And anyway the chief appointed me to be the leader of this group. Now I command you to do as I say."

He took a rope he had wound around his shoulder and handed it to Jack.

"Tie her hands behind her back." Jack did as he was told. As soon as that was done, James picked up Christine and put her on the horse he had in the bushes. He waited for his comrades to get on their horses, and then they were off to camp.

_Well that's the first chapter. Erik will be in the next chapter. Yes! So please read and review._

_Phantom's Bride_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Christine woke up she found herself laying on a horse with her hands tied behind her back (although she didn't know why). Then she remembered what had happened to her. She looked up into the face of the man that had jumped her. He peered down at her, and gave her a huge toothy grin which was probably the most disgusting thing she had ever seen. Three of his teeth were missing, and the rest of them were all a grotesque yellow.

"Well, it looks like sleeping beauty has woken up"

"Where are we going?" she asked. He smirked at her.

"To camp," he stated. He looked up and smiled. "It looks like we're here, little one." She looked up at the camp site which was mainly a bunch of tents. But what amazed her were the tree houses with rope ladders going from tree to tree. When they got there, the man lifted her off the horse and put her on her feet. Suddenly two more men she had not seen took her by the arms and led her through the camp. There were mostly men there, but a good amount of women around too. Everyone was wearing red scarves. From beside her, Christine could have sworn she heard one of her kidnappers say very quietly,

"I'm so sorry about this, Miss." But she didn't think long on it because she was brought to the center of the tents. Right in the heart of the campground, she saw a chair with a man just sitting there. He was a big bulky man, with very long brown hair. He also had a scarf, but the one he had was black. When they approached, he looked up and smiled at her captors.

Then he looked at Christine and said, "Well, what have you brought for me today, James?"

The man who rode with her bowed low before him and said, "We bring for you, sir, this young girl." He smirked, and then added, "For the right price." The man in the chair scowled.

"Knowing you, James, you would ask for a lot of money for her. And I don't have any use for this girl so-" he was cut off.

"Father, what's going on here?"

Christine looked up and saw someone climb down a rope ladder. It was a boy who had to be no more than a year or two older than her… probably about 18. He was wearing all black; he had a rope (with a noose tied on the end) to his side. He also had a scarf, but like the man in the chair, it was black. But what caught her attention the most was a white mask that covered half of his face. Now this mask caught her attention at once. She couldn't stop staring at it.

'_Why does he wear that mask?'_ she wondered, '_What could he be hiding underneath?' _

She was about to think more about it, when the man in the chair turned to the boy and said, "Erik, it's good to see you. And to answer your question, James was just showing me this girl. But I see no reason to keep her." When the boy (Erik) looked at her, she got chills running up and down her spine, and she started to blush. He looked at the men who had a hold on her.

"Well, how much do you want for her?"

"Fifty gold coins." He smiled.

"I'll give you twenty five. Take it or leave it, James." James thought for a moment, and then turned his attention back to Erik.

"Oh, very well." Then picking up Christine, he pulled her to Erik. "She's all yours." Erik took some money out of his pocket, handed it to him, and then turned back to Christine. Reaching around her, he untied her hands from behind her back.

"Come along now,'" he said gently. He offered her his hand. Timidly she took it. He led her over to the Rope ladder, and she climbed up. The room wasn't that big, but it wasn't that small either.

"There's no need to be afraid," he said from behind her. "I won't hurt you. I give you my word." He led her over to a bed which was in a corner. "You can stay here. I'll sleep in the chair."

Christine got into the bed, while Erik went across to the other side of the room, and sat in a big chair. The whole time he watched her. He thought she was very pretty. He noticed that she had been staring at his mask. He was going to have to be careful that she didn't remove it. She can't see what was underneath it. At least, not yet.

Christine was beginning to regret taking that path through the woods.

_If I hadn't taken that shortcut, I wouldn't be in this mess,_ she thought. But it was too late now. When she got into bed, she pulled the covers up to her chin, and closed her eyes, wondering what the next day had in store for her.

_Well, that's the 2nd chapter for you. I'd like to thank my reviewers: Twinkle22, Young Grasshoper, Carkeys, Puppetm-ster, TwistedChildreness, and T-T-K13. Thank you very much. I'll try to update as soon as I can. I hoped you enjoyed it! _

_Phantom's Bride._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Christine woke up that morning, she didn't know where she was. And then she remembered.

'_Why?' _she thought. '_Why did this have to happen?'_ she started to cry. Not only for herself, but also for her father.

'_He must be worried sick about me,' _she thought.

She suddenly was disgusted with herself.

'_I just stood there!'_ She thought angrily. '_I should have fought back! But I didn't. Why?' _

Still enraged with herself, she looked over at Erik. He was still asleep.

'_I can still get away. And I don't hear anyone underneath us.'_

She got out of bed as quietly as she could. She went over to the trapdoor, but before she could reach it, she tripped and fell. And to make matters worse, she bumped a bookshelf and the books tumbled to the floor as well.

Erik woke with a start, and looked over at Christine.

'_She looks so beautiful,'_ he thought.

He walked over to her and offered her his hand. But when he did, Christine flinched. He sighed and said,

"Don't be scared. I said I wouldn't hurt you, and I keep my word." He offered his hand once more.

Timidly, she took it, and he helped her up. He stared at her for a long time.

'_What are you waiting for?' _she thought _'don't just stand there, struggle!' _ But she didn't. She just stood there again, staring into his sea green eyes while he stared into her chocolate brown ones.

"What's your name?" he finally asked.

"Christine."

"Well Christine, my name is Erik." He walked to the other side of the room and picked up his black scarf (tying it around his elbow).

"Um… Erik?"

He turned to her. "Why is your scarf black, while every body else has red ones?"

"It just shows that I'm a higher rank." When he finished, he walked over to her.

"I think I should show you around. I wouldn't want you to get lost." She nodded her head in response.

He walked over to the trap door and opened it for her. She went down the ladder and he quickly followed.

_A.N. I'm so sorry for not updating more quickly ( and for the short chapter!) But I've been suffering writers' block and I HATE it. But I'm back. Now I would like to thank my reviewers: Twinkle22 Carkeys Puppetm-ster Young Grasshoper cinafran Phanwanker ChristianAngel7 and Black Rose 37. THANK YOOOOUUUUUUUU! Please Review!_

_Phantom's Bride_

_P.S. be nice. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As soon as they got to the bottom of the ladder, a blonde haired girl came running up to them.

"Ah Meg, I'd like to introduce you to Christine. Christine, this is my stepsister Meg."

Christine gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Meg."

"Likewise," she said. "But Erik, I have to warn you, your father just asked Carlotta to sing tomorrow at the festival, and she accepted."

Erik groaned. "Not her again! She sings at _every_ festival."

"Is she a good singer?" Christine asked.

"No of course not. I would not be surprised if she was related to screech owls!" he turned to Meg. "Does it _have_ to be _her_? Can't father choose some else?"

Meg sighed. "You know how fond he is of Carlotta. Oh, and another thing, she said she wanted to talk to you about what song she should sing." Meg looked around. "And here she comes now! If you need me, I'll be with mother." She said and ran off.

Christine turned to see another girl come walking up to them. She had slightly darkened skin, with long red hair.

"Well Erik, I shall be singing tomorrow night. Do you have any songs that I can sing?"

"Yes, you could sing 'Think of me' if you want," he said pretending to be happy.

Carlotta suddenly turned her attention to Christine. "And who is this?" she asked.

"My name is Christine. And you must be Carlotta. Erik told me all about you."

"Then Erik must have told what a lovely voice I have."

"Oh yes," she lied. "Just lovely."

Erik cut in before Carlotta could say another word. "Well Carlotta, it's been nice talking to you," he said, putting on a fake smile. "But we should really be going."

"Well, I shall see you two tomorrow night. Bye!" She said as she skipped off.

Erik turned to Christine. "There are no words in the world that can describe the hatred that I feel towards her. Now let's go on"

He continued to lead her through the camp till it was sunset.

Then, as he led her back to the tree house, he said to her, "Christine, I have some business to attend to. So do you mind if you stay in the tree house until I get back?"

She smiled. "No I don't mind."

When she was in the tree house, she stared out of the window. And slowly her mind drifted back to her father.

_Oh, I wish I can see you again, papa. How I wish I can hear you again and hear you play your violin, at least one more time. _Then she suddenly started to sing a song that her father would always sing to her when she was upset.

_A.N. Angel of music is played here. _

After Erik came back from arguing with his father about Carlotta, he went to the tree house. When he did he heard Christine singing. Her voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his life. Sure it was a little rough around the edges, but with his help, it could make angels cry.

Suddenly it was clear to Erik that she should sing at the festival tomorrow night. Since his father was so set to have Carlotta sing, he would have to take matters into his own hands.

As soon as he saw Meg, he called her over. "Meg, I need you to do something for me." He whispered his plan to her. She nodded.

"Alright I'll try. Good luck on your part." And she ran off.

Erik ran to the outside of the camp. He looked around until he spotted what he was looking for to handle Carlotta. It was a patch of green leaves with red spots called toad's plant.

_A.N. I know there is no such thing as Toad's plant, but this is my story. So I can make up stuff if I want to. But that's another chapter for you guys. I'd like to thank my reviewers: Twistedchildreness, Twinkle22, ChristianAngel7, Puppetm-ster, cARKEYS, cinafran, Kathy.L, and T-T-K13. It might take a while till I put the next chapter up. Because I'm writing another story and I'm doing the national novel writers month – __ But I'll try to update as soon as possible. You know the drill. So Review!_

_Phantom's Bride_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The night of the festival had arrived. All during that day, everyone had been running around setting up decorations, cooking all sorts of food for that night.

Christine was going from place to place trying to help out in any way that she could.

Erik had been busy too - not with the festival, but with his plan. He decided to use the Toads plant as a last resort.

That night, when everyone was seated, and had eaten their fill, the performers came to an empty space in the center of the camp. There were fiddlers and play performers, that performed shows that Christine had never even heard of.

Erik waited for the other performers to end, so he could put his plan into action.

When Carlotta got up to sing, Erik slipped around to the back until he found a rope holding one of the poles to the tent. He took out a small pocket knife and started to cut the rope, just as music started to play and Carlotta started to sing.

"Think of me,

Think of me fondly

When we've said goodbye

Remember me once in awhile.

Please promise me you'll try.

When you'll find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free

If you ev-"

But she never got to finish. For suddenly the tent started to collapse. People started yelling and running around so they wouldn't get hurt.

It was most unfortunate for Carlotta. Since she was in the middle of the tent, she didn't have much time to get out. And the tent fell right on top of her, trapping her beneath it. A short chubby little man, whose name was Paingi, ran over to Carlotta yelling to her,

"Don't worry Carla, I help you!"

When they finally got her out, Erik's father turned to Jack.

"I want you to go and find out what happened with the tent," he said. Jack gave a quick nod and left. When the tent had fallen, Erik ran swiftly to the other side of the camp. After things had settled down a bit, Erik walked up to his father and asked,

"Father, what happened?" His father turned to him and said.

"Oh, the tent caved in. Jack's gone to see what caused it." Just as he finished speaking Jack came up to him with a worried look on his face.

"Um, sir? That tent didn't fall by itself. When I went around to the back, I saw one of the ropes had been cut." Everyone in the camp fell silent.

Except Carlotta, who kept screaming, "Someone tried to sabotage me!"

And Paingi yelling, "Who would do such a thing?"

"QUIET!" Erik's father turned to Erik and said, "Erik, would you please go get Carlotta something drink, so she will calm dawn?"

Erik turned to him saying, "Of course." And went off to the water bucket. After he got a cup of water for her, he took the Toads plant out of his pocket and squeezed the juice out of it and stirred it up. Erik walked up to Carlotta and handed the cup to her.

"Thank you very much Erik," she said. "You're so kind."

"Oh, it's a pleasure," he said smirking to himself.

_A.N. I am REALLY sorry for not updating sooner. But anyway, I'd like to thank my reviewers: Britomartis, Twinkle22, Kathy.L, ChristianAngel7, Puppetm-ster, Chat, EriksMezzoSoprano, T-T-K13, Miss Phantom, EriksGurl, and Darrow. Thank you and please review!_

_Phantom's Bride_


End file.
